Sunlight shines through the large windows into Office, which is covered with thick carpets. The air is filled with the faint scent of tea and old books.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing a loose white robe and a bamboo hat, is sitting leisurely behind a large desk, holding a cup of steaming tea in his hand, gently blowing the tea leaves on the water, with a consistent gentle smile on his face, as if he has seen through the world.
Sitting in the guest seat opposite him is the contemporary patriarch of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi.
He was dressed in black Kimono, with a serious face and a tall posture, maintaining the unique reserve and etiquette of a wealthy family.
However, at this moment, his face, which had always shown no emotion or anger, although he tried hard to control his expression, there was still a trace of unhappiness between his eyebrows that could not be completely concealed.
"Haha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the teacup and chuckled, breaking the brief silence.
"I heard that Naruto and Kid caused big trouble outside again."
Hyuga Hiashi picked up the tea cup in front of him, but did not drink it. He just rubbed the warm cup wall with his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Kill Daimyo of the Land of Snow Kazahana Dōtō...
He was happy with his grudges and acted chivalrously, helping the exiled princess Kazahana Koyuki and assassinating a whole country Daimyo."
His tone was calm, but the complex emotions contained in it were obvious.
A grudge? A chivalrous act? Of course it is.
But more than anything, it's a worry.
That was the assassination of Daimyo, a sensitive incident involving international relations, Imperial Court's attitude, and Shinobi Village's position.
Naruto Uzumaki is nominally Konoha's registered son-in-law Ninja, and is also his Hyuga Hiashi's prospective son-in-law.
This Kid is acting so wantonly outside, what if he causes a big disaster and involves Hyuga Clan?
What's more important is... even though the engagement party was just around the corner, Kid ran away with Jiraiya, and there was no news from him for more than two years.
Is he Hyuga Hiashi so unreasonable that he would beat him with Gentle Fist just because he left without saying goodbye?
Could his son Neji really ignore his sister's feelings and attack his future brother-in-law?
Hyuga Hiashi even felt a little aggrieved: He Hyuga Clan was from a famous Konoha family, and he valued rules and face above all, but he was by no means unreasonable.
As long as Naruto comes back, explains the reasons clearly and expresses his attitude, will his future father-in-law still hold on to him?
He Hiashi will naturally find ways to mediate and bear part of the pressure from the family and the eyes of the outside world.
But this Kid chose the most troublesome way.
He left without any news, and now he has revealed such a big trap!
Seeing the complicated look on Hiashi's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his smile and said seriously, "Hiashi, I have received a relatively detailed report from Inoichi about the specific situation."
When Hiashi heard this, his expression condensed, and he raised his head and looked at Third: "How could Inoichi know about this?"
Inoichi Yamanaka is the patriarch of Konoha Yamanaka Clan. He is good at mind reading and intelligence analysis and is one of the heads of the intelligence department.
But how could he in Konoha know so quickly what happened in Land of Snow involving masters of the level Naruto and Orochimaru?
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said slowly, "About Jiraiya who took him away from Konoha two years ago, his true identity is Orochimaru disguised as Jiraiya.
This matter was discovered by Ino, Inoichi's daughter, after she overheard the real conversation between Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade in Tanzaku Town and reported it."
He paused, "As for the commission to assassinate Kazahana Dōtō, it was indeed Orochimaru who accepted it as Jiraiya, and Naruto was coerced into participating.
Moreover, with Naruto's strength two years ago, it was completely normal for him to be forcibly taken away when faced with Orochimaru, unable to defeat him."
Hearing this, Hiashi's tense face softened a little.
It turns out that the person who took away Naruto was not Jiraiya himself, but the infamous Orochimaru who defected from Konoha.
This explains why the other party acts so secretly and can easily take away Naruto.
Naruto was more likely to be forced to leave, which relieved a lot of the resentment in his heart.
But at the same time, the vigilance against Orochimaru and the worry about Naruto's situation also increased.
"Then how did Inoichi get the information about the latter assassination of Kazahana Dōtō?
Land of Snow is far away from Land of Fire, and the message transmission should not be so fast and accurate."
Hiashi asked. This involves the depth and efficiency of Konoha's intelligence network.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the teacup and smiled, the wrinkles on his face unfurling, with a hint of confidence and unfathomability belonging to the veteran Shinobi Village leader. "Hiashi, never underestimate Konoha's intelligence capabilities.
We have eyes and ears in every country and at every important node.
Behind some seemingly accidental events, there is often careful planning and timely information transmission."
He did not elaborate on the source of the intelligence, but his confident tone already showed that Konoha's control over Shinobi World's situation was far deeper than it appeared on the surface.
Hiashi nodded and accepted the explanation. He was silent for a moment and turned the topic to another direction that he was more interested in. "Third, regarding the title of 'shadow'... I heard that other Shinobi Village leaders seem to call each other this way in private?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, his eyes became distant, as if recalling some past events. "Well. Daimyo is the supreme leader of Imperial Court on the surface, representing the country's orthodoxy and authority.
And the status and power of our major Shinobi Village leaders in their respective villages are, to a certain extent, just like the status of Daimyo in their countries.
We are the shadows Daimyo who walk in the darkness, guarding the village, performing tasks, and dealing with things that cannot be exposed openly."
He paused and continued, "As early as the first formal meeting between Five Great Shinobi Villages leaders, some leaders proposed to use 'shadow' as the honorific title of each Shinobi Village leader, symbolizing their identity and authority as 'Shadow Daimyo'.
However, this proposal was sternly rejected by First Hokage and Martial Arts Alliance Leader Hashirama Senju at that time.
Lord Hashirama believes that Ninja should take protection and peace as his own responsibility. Too much emphasis on the power and mystery of the shadow can easily breed estrangement and ambition, which is contrary to the concept of 'mutual understanding and common peace' he pursues."
"What happened next?"
Hiashi asked.
He knew that now every country actually calls each other's leader "Shadow" in private.
"Later..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi touched his beard and said in a subtle tone, "In my generation, the situation has changed. The friction between countries has intensified, and the secret competition and confrontation have become increasingly fierce.
In order to facilitate communication and negotiation, and to recognize each other's equal status and strength to a certain extent, this title has gradually been used by default in informal private situations.
'Shadow' stands for 'Shadow Daimyo', and the prefix is naturally the name of the country it represents.
For example, I am the Third leader of Konohagakure. In private, people from other villages will call me--Third Hokage."
He said it very plainly, but the two words "Hokage" carry the history, glory, responsibility and strength of Konoha.
Hiashi understood the deep meaning.
The title of "Shadow", from being rejected to being acquiesced, is behind the changes in the Shinobi World pattern and the redefinition of the balance of power.
And Hokage of Konoha has always played a vital role in it.
"So, regarding Naruto's behavior this time and his possible current situation...
Konoha, or Lord Hokage, how do you plan to respond?"
Hiashi finally asked the question he was most concerned about.
This is related to both the safety of Naruto and the future position of the Hyuga Clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes became sharp and profound again, and he looked out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha and the Hokage Rock towering in the distance.
"Kazahana Dōtō is dead, Land of Snow's political situation has been decided, and it is inconvenient for Konoha to publicly intervene in this matter.
But the identity and actions of Naruto have attracted the attention of many parties."
He pondered, seeming to be making an important decision.
"It's time for some eyes that have been observing in the dark to see more clearly.
It's time to call that Kid who has been out in the wild for too long and have a heart-to-heart talk."